Pintos
Encyclopedia
Pintos
is a simple instructional operating system
framework for the 80x86 architecture
. The software supports kernel
threads, loading and running user program
s, and a file system
, but it implements all of these in a very simple way. Pin created at Stanford University
by Ben Pfaff in 2004. It originated as a replacement for Nachos
, a similar system originally developed at UC Berkeley by Tom Anderson
, and was designed along similar lines. Like Nachos, Pintos is intended to introduce undergraduates to concepts in operating system design and implementation by requiring them to implement significant portions of a real operating system, including thread
and memory management and file system access. Pintos also teaches students valuable debugging skills.
Unlike Nachos, Pintos is capable of running on actual x86 hardware, though it is often run on top of an x86 simulator, such as Bochs
or QEMU
. Nachos, by contrast, runs as a user process on a host operating system, and targets the MIPS architecture
(Nachos code must run atop a MIPS simulator). Pintos and its accompanying assignments are also written in C rather than C++ (used by the original Nachos) or Java (used by Nachos 5.0j).
Pintos was written by Stanford University former graduate student Ben Pfaff.
Pintos
Pintos is a simple instructional operating system framework for the 80x86 architecture. The software supports kernel threads, loading and running user programs, and a file system, but it implements all of these in a very simple way. Pin created at Stanford University by Ben Pfaff in 2004...
is a simple instructional operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
framework for the 80x86 architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. The software supports kernel
Kernel (computing)
In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources...
threads, loading and running user program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
s, and a file system
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
, but it implements all of these in a very simple way. Pin created at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
by Ben Pfaff in 2004. It originated as a replacement for Nachos
Not Another Completely Heuristic Operating System
Not Another Completely Heuristic Operating System, or Nachos, is instructional software for teaching undergraduate, and potentially graduate level operating systems courses...
, a similar system originally developed at UC Berkeley by Tom Anderson
Tom Anderson
Tom Anderson may refer to:*Tom Anderson , entrepreneur and co-founder of MySpace*Tom Anderson , former member of the Alaska State Legislature...
, and was designed along similar lines. Like Nachos, Pintos is intended to introduce undergraduates to concepts in operating system design and implementation by requiring them to implement significant portions of a real operating system, including thread
Thread (computer science)
In computer science, a thread of execution is the smallest unit of processing that can be scheduled by an operating system. The implementation of threads and processes differs from one operating system to another, but in most cases, a thread is contained inside a process...
and memory management and file system access. Pintos also teaches students valuable debugging skills.
Unlike Nachos, Pintos is capable of running on actual x86 hardware, though it is often run on top of an x86 simulator, such as Bochs
Bochs
Bochs is a portable x86 and x86-64 IBM PC compatible emulator and debugger mostly written in C++ and distributed as free software under GNU Lesser General Public License...
or QEMU
QEMU
QEMU is a processor emulator that relies on dynamic binary translation to achieve a reasonable speed while being easy to port on new host CPU architectures....
. Nachos, by contrast, runs as a user process on a host operating system, and targets the MIPS architecture
MIPS architecture
MIPS is a reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by MIPS Technologies . The early MIPS architectures were 32-bit, and later versions were 64-bit...
(Nachos code must run atop a MIPS simulator). Pintos and its accompanying assignments are also written in C rather than C++ (used by the original Nachos) or Java (used by Nachos 5.0j).
Pintos was written by Stanford University former graduate student Ben Pfaff.